New York City Mayor Eric Adams is taking action to address rising crime rates and complaints about panhandling in several illegal immigrant holding facilities by implementing a curfew.
According to the New York Post, illegal immigrants residing in temporary housing facilities will now be required to be indoors from 11 p.m. until 6 a.m. the following morning.
The decision to impose a curfew comes in response to numerous complaints about panhandling and an increase in crime around the large tent cities housing illegal immigrants. To ensure compliance, individuals who violate the curfew three times within a 30-day period will be expelled from the facility.
Mayor Adams had previously acknowledged the unsustainability of the city's immigration levels during an interview a few months ago. This move has been under consideration for some time, as Molly Schaeffer, the director of Adams' Office of Asylum Seeker Operations, mentioned in a closed-door meeting, "We're definitely looking into a curfew across the system, we'll get back to folks on that." Schaeffer also expressed the need to balance work opportunities for illegal immigrants, stating, "We obviously want to make sure that people have the ability to work, and that it's worth giving as many opportunities for people to work as possible, but we're looking into it across the system."
According to the Post, only four of the holding centers for illegal immigrants will be subject to the curfew starting this week. These centers include two in Queens, the Stockton Center in Brooklyn, and the Lincoln Manhattan Center in Manhattan.
To bypass the curfew, migrants must obtain permits in advance for exceptions such as work, school, legal, and medical appointments. This measure aims to strike a balance between maintaining order within the facilities and ensuring individuals have access to necessary services.
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